Jackson's wife still unsure when congressman will return

Alex Garcia, Chicago Tribune

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. stands with a group of about 50 ministers and other religious leaders on Feb. 18, 2012, as they voice support for his re-election campaign during an event at Park 52 restaurant.

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. stands with a group of about 50 ministers and other religious leaders on Feb. 18, 2012, as they voice support for his re-election campaign during an event at Park 52 restaurant. (Alex Garcia, Chicago Tribune)

John ByrneTribune reporter

Ald. Sandi Jackson today offered no guarantees that voters will get to see her husband Rep. Jesse Jackson before the Nov. 6 election.

"I hope that he will be able to" speak to constituents prior to the election), she said. "I know that he is anxious to do so, but he is also under doctor's orders to stay very calm, very quiet, and he is going to do that."

But it's unclear when the congressman will be able to return to work, she said while speaking to reporters outside a City Council meeting at City Hall. "I believe at some point in time he will come back. I don't know whether that will be before the election or after the election," she said.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has not made any public appearances since he began receiving treatment for bipolar disorder in June. He's running in the 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from the South Side to Kankakee, against two virtually unknown challengers.

Ald. Jackson also appeared to shut the door to an eleventh-hour change in which Rep. Jackson would step down and be replaced on the ballot by another Democratic candidate.

"He is on the ballot and he's going to stay on the ballot," Sandi Jackson said. "And I'm looking forward to him coming back to work after his re-election. No last minute switcheroos. He would never do that and I would never want that for him."

Under election law, Democratic Party leaders have until 15 days before the Nov. 6 election to pick a replacement candidate should Jackson opt to remove his name from consideration. After that date, however, Jackson’s name would appear on the ballot. Should he decide he’s unable to serve, a special election would have to be held several months down the road.

The most recent comparable scenario involved Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In 2008, Emanuel won re-election to his North Side congressional seat. Within weeks, he accepted the job as White House chief of staff for incoming President Barack Obama. In April 2009, then-County Commissioner Mike Quigley won a special election to succeed Emanuel representing the 5th Congressional District.

Asked today if Rep. Jackson might tape some sort of statement to make to residents of his district, Sandi Jackson said she isn't certain what form his outreach to voters might take. "We're talking about what can be done and when, but I don't have an answer to that," she said.

The family took its Washington D.C. home off the open market because people were coming in to look at it and she was worried about the safety of their children, Sandi Jackson said. "They were scaring my children because they were coming without, I think, any desire to buy, but really just to come look-see," she said.

She said the family needs to sell the home because her husband's U.S. Congress health care plan doesn't adequately cover mental health treatment like that he is receiving. "This should be something that is covered by every single medical plan, and even if you have what some people consider a 'Cadillac Plan,' it doesn't cover it. And that's unfortunate, not just for my family but for all the families who suffer from issues similar to this," she said.

The family will continue to try to privately sell the house, Sandi Jackson said.